


I'm Going To Eat You Alive

by bubbleguchi



Series: Vampire/Werewolf AU [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Some blood and gore, Vampire Tsukishima Kei, Werewolf Yamaguchi Tadashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27150796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubbleguchi/pseuds/bubbleguchi
Summary: Tsukishima Kei has been a vampire for most of his life, but he's never once lost control. That is, until something about Yamaguchi changes, and Kei finds himself struggling to keep his thirst in check. What happened to Yamaguchi? And what will he do when he finds out what Kei truly is?-x-A Vampire & Werewolf AU based onthis thread.(Title from 'Terrified' by Childish Gambino)
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: Vampire/Werewolf AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044468
Comments: 11
Kudos: 140





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I didn't plan on writing this but then I saw @KILUC0RE's tweets and I felt the uncontrollable urge to do it.  
> Go check out the tweets, the AU is very cool and she made some awesome edits!

Kei can’t quite remember a life before his diet consisted solely of blood. He remembers being a child and slurping down his mother’s special ‘red milkshakes’ at school; he remembers turning his nose up when Yamaguchi offered him a cookie from his lunch box. He couldn’t describe to you the flavour of a carrot, or chocolate, though his parents _insist_ that he did eat them, once upon a time.

That was before they turned him, though. Just like they had with his brother, on his fifth birthday they turned him, made him into one of them. A vampire, like everyone else in his family. Being born to vampires, the young Tsukishimas’ internal make-up is a little different to regular humans; they still age after being turned, but only until they reach full physical maturity. After that, they will remain unchanged, immortal.

So now, in his final year of high school, Kei would consider himself a professional at controlling his thirst. He has done so since before he can remember, and had planned to continue his streak indefinitely. However, something changed. Kei can’t quite place _what,_ but something has, and it’s driving him insane.

He has deduced that it must have something to do with Yamaguchi, as the issue only began around the time Yamaguchi took an extended break from volleyball practice. Kei had tried to talk to him about it, but Yamaguchi had been closed off, so unlike himself, and Kei doesn’t quite have the social skills to cope with such a change in Yamaguchi’s attitude, so they had both just pretended everything was okay.

But it wasn’t. Not just between them, but with Kei. He was suffering immeasurably at school, driven almost to frenzy by the ever present smell of fresh blood pumping so enticingly through the bodies that surround him. He’s taken to holding his breath for prolonged periods during the day, making him more irritable than usual. Especially around Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi had been the first human he had ever befriended – or, more accurately, the first human who had ever befriended _him._ Begrudgingly, Kei found that as the years went on, he had come to rely on Yamaguchi, on his persistent presence and his unwavering friendship. And now, Kei would do anything to protect Yamaguchi from himself.

Well, maybe not _anything_ – he can’t find it in himself to stay away from Yamaguchi, not even while his thirst is at an all time high, such has he come to crave the company of his truest friend. So Kei just holds his breath extra carefully around Yamaguchi, resolute in his commitment never to hurt him.

For all his efforts, Kei’s strength is not unlimited.

It started when he sat in English class beside Yamaguchi, Kei’s breath held steadily – for what use have the undead for air? – until Yamaguchi leaned in unexpectedly, a whispered question on his breath. Kei had flinched, involuntarily gasping in surprise and filling his nostrils with the scent of Yamaguchi.

Except it was different, not the smell he knew, and his brain clouded over. He scarcely remembers leaving the room, or even in which direction he ran, but now here he is, crouched on the floor of an unspecified bathroom, an unrecognised student beneath him, both of them covered in blood. _Shit_.

This has never happened before. Kei is _always_ in control, how could this happen? Frantic, Kei feels the student’s wrist for a pulse; it’s weak, but it’s there. He’s panting so hard he doesn’t hear the door open behind him. He doesn’t hear the terrified gasp that the person behind him draws in. What he does hear, though, is the sound of his best friend’s voice as he screams.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi shrieks, and Kei whips his head around to meet horror-stricken amber eyes. Wait, Yamaguchi’s eyes are brown, how– “What happened? What did you do? Wha–” Yamaguchi’s words are cut off by his own sob. Kei’s heart twists in his chest.

“Yamaguchi, I can explain, I–” Kei doesn’t finish his sentence before Yamaguchi is turning around and fleeing, the bathroom door slamming heavily behind him.

Kei’s mind is running at impossible speeds, the pull to go after Yamaguchi topped only by the mess that lies before him. He stares down at the figure on the floor. The student is mostly unscathed, but for the two puncture marks made on his neck by Kei’s teeth. An idea floats around Kei’s head, and it makes him feel sick but it’s all he can think to do.

With the sharp nail of his index finger, he slices along the space between the two holes on the unfortunate student’s neck, deep enough that blood starts to bubble up to the surface. Tears prickle in Kei’s eyes but he sniffs aggressively, willing them back down. _Not now,_ he thinks, _just fix this, you can cry later._

He stands next, stumbling over to the sink to clean the blood from his face and hands. His uniform is still soaked, but that’s okay; his cover story can account for that. Running the water as hot as it will go, he splashes and scrubs at his face, unable to help the tears that mingle with the drops that run red down his hands and wrists. He pats himself dry and takes a deep breath before throwing the bathroom door open.

“Help!” he calls, voice distressed and cracking. “Help! Someone’s hurt!”

Students and teachers alike come running to his aid, and Kei doesn’t even have to act the part of the traumatised witness; he already _feels_ it, the strain of what he’s done fraying his stability.

“I don’t know what happened,” he claims. “I came in and he collapsed, I think he cut himself.” Sob. “I tried to help but he just kept bleeding. Please help him.”

A teacher tells Kei to calm down, ushers him out of the way while they tend to the injured student. Kei’s heart is thumping in his throat. His parents are going to be pissed, he knows, but all he can think about now is Yamaguchi. How is Kei going to explain this to him? How can he make Yamaguchi understand? The thought of losing him makes Kei’s bones ache, deep and consuming.

An ambulance arrives and the student is carried away on a stretcher. Teachers and paramedics and police interview Kei but all seem satisfied with his account of events. The boy fell and cut himself, Kei tried to help but couldn’t. There would be no further questions, at least until the boy woke up, but he probably won’t remember much. Kei hopes so.

Kei’s mother collects him from school and lectures him as they drive home.

“How could you have been so careless?” she scolds sharply. Kei hangs his head in the passenger seat.

“I know, mother. I don’t know how it happened,” he replies quietly. “But it won’t happen again. I promise.”

“I know it won’t,” she says vaguely, and Kei doesn’t need to ask to know what she means by it. _If it does, your life is over._ That is his mother’s silent vow.

Once they reach home, Kei marches himself straight to his bedroom and shuts himself inside. He’s met with no protest by either of his parents and is left alone for the rest of the night, for which he is thankful.

He’s barely dropped his bag down before he’s stripping, desperate to get the blood-soaked clothes off of his body. He kicks his shed uniform into a ball in the corner of his room and immediately buries himself in his bed, duvet pulled up around his ears. Only his face and hands peek out, his phone in his hands showing Yamaguchi’s contact on the screen.

Kei stares at it for a long time. He doesn’t know what to do. If he called, would Yamaguchi answer? If he texted, would Yamaguchi even read it? Kei thinks he knows the answer to both questions. He tries to ignore the sting it causes in his chest.

He needs to see Yamaguchi, needs the chance to explain himself. He needs Yamaguchi to finally see who he really is, who he always has been, and not the monster he had seemed, covered in blood on that bathroom floor.

Mind made up, Kei gets out of bed and grabs some clothes from his dresser, dressing quickly and slipping silently out of his bedroom window.

The walk from his house to Yamaguchi’s is short, and Kei is fast. Within minutes he’s standing below Yamaguchi’s bedroom window, throwing rocks like he’s the romantic lead in some cliche teen movie and not about to beg his best and most beloved friend for forgiveness.

“Yamaguchi!” he whisper-shouts when he doesn’t receive a response. They’ve done this countless times, and Yamaguchi has _always_ let him in. Kei doesn’t like what this silence says about the future of their relationship.

In the past, Kei would have thrown more rocks, or even just waited for Yamaguchi’s reply, but this time he thinks, _fuck it,_ because what’s the point in hiding any more? With a subtle kick of the ground, Kei floats upward until he’s level with Yamaguchi’s window, and he taps against the glass with his knuckle. He hears Yamaguchi still inside – because _of course_ he had been in there all along, just ignoring Kei – before the curtain is drawn forcefully back and Kei hovers face-to-face with Yamaguchi through the glass.

Yamaguchi’s eyes are wide with surprise, horror, his jaw hanging limp from his face. Even in the circumstances, Kei has to fight back a smirk. He instead offers a weak wave, a small, sheepish smile on his lips. Yamaguchi’s mouth snaps shut, his jaw clenching, saffron eyes brimming with anger. Kei briefly wonders again if he's been misremembering the warm brown of Yamaguchi’s eyes when the window swings open. Kei sucks in a breath and holds it.

“What are you doing here?” Yamaguchi hisses, and Kei almost recoils.

“Please let me explain,” he pleads, searching Yamaguchi’s face for even a hint of forgiveness. He finds none, but Yamaguchi steps aside to let him into his room regardless.

Yamaguchi moves to stand a good six feet from Kei, arms crossed protectively over his chest. He is clearly waiting for Kei to speak, but Kei doesn’t know if he can. He’s never seen Yamaguchi so furious. Is the pounding of Kei’s heart from nerves? Fear? Or something else?

“I’m a vampire,” Kei says simply. Yamaguchi’s face stays firm in its scowl, so Kei continues. “I have been since before we met. My whole family are. But what you saw, that wasn’t me. I don’t know what’s going on but my thirst has been insatiable lately. I–” Kei pauses, eyes begging Yamaguchi to understand. “I lost control. I won’t ever let it happen again.”

Waiting for Yamaguchi to speak feels like the passing of an age, the silence eating at Kei’s insides. His lungs ache with stale air, his heart throbbing against his rib cage.

“You could have killed that boy,” Yamaguchi says finally, voice a low growl, brow still set in a hard frown, eyes seeming to glow luminous from the shadows it casts. Kei feels his heart still, frozen. This doesn’t look like his Yamaguchi. This Yamaguchi looks...feral. Kei gulps.

“I know.” Kei takes a tentative step towards Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi stands rooted.

“You could have ruined everything.” Kei takes another step, unsure of what Yamaguchi means.

“Everything?” he asks. Another step forward. There’s only a foot between them now. Yamaguchi has yet to move.

“Everything,” Yamaguchi repeats. One more step. Kei now looms over Yamaguchi, their chests almost touching.

Yamaguchi tilts his head back to meet Kei’s eyes, and the air is knocked from Kei’s burning lungs. A sharp intake of breath, _that smell._ This can’t be Yamaguchi. Its teeth are sharp in its snarl of a mouth, its ears stretched to points on either side of its head. And those eyes, those eyes that were once a warm bronze, full of love and laughter, they’re now a hard, sickly gold, angry and wild. Kei inhales once more, slowly.

“What _are_ you?” he breathes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm not sure if I'm 100% happy with this chapter BUT I'm gonna post it anyway! May do some minor edits at some point but until then, enjoy!!

Kei is gasping, suddenly in desperate need for air to permeate his lungs. Who is this? _What_ is this? Harsh amber eyes bore into him, burning his flesh, scorching his organs to ash. _What are you?_

Then Yamaguchi seems to deflate, the tension between them dissolving like sugar in hot tea. He looks small in that moment, and impossibly fragile. He looks like the Yamaguchi that Kei has known for years, since they were children. The Yamaguchi he’s grown up with. The Yamaguchi he couldn’t be without.

“I don’t know,” comes Yamaguchi’s voice, so soft, so _broken._ Kei reaches for him, heart skipping when Yamaguchi doesn’t pull away. Cupping Yamaguchi’s cheek gently, thumb brushing delicately over those star-burst freckles, Kei wraps his other arm around Yamaguchi to pull him close. Yamaguchi lets him.

As he breathes Yamaguchi in, everything starts to make sense.

“It’s you,” he murmurs, fascinated. Yamaguchi just blinks back at him. “I can’t control my thirst because of _you."_

Yamaguchi flinches as if Kei had hit him, tearing himself from Kei’s arms. With his anger returning, Kei stares as Yamaguchi’s features morph again, right before his eyes. Yamaguchi is animalistic.

“Don’t you _dare,"_ he spits at Kei, who watches with wide eyes. “Don’t you dare blame this on me. What you did is on _you._ I’m dealing with my own shit without you pushing yours on me too.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Kei blurts, hands held out in surrender. “It’s just that whatever’s happened to you, it’s affecting me, too.” Yamaguchi’s chest is still heaving but it looks like he’s calming down, face becoming increasingly more human. “I want to help,” Kei finishes, voice gentle so as not to agitate Yamaguchi again.

“You can’t help.” Yamaguchi is staring at the ground, bringing up his arms to wrap around his middle. He looks scared. Kei swears he can actually feel his heart breaking.

“At least let me _try,"_ he begs, fingers itching to sweep away the tears that cling to Yamaguchi’s eyelashes. But he doesn’t, instead watching as Yamaguchi sighs.

“It was Ukai,” he says, and Kei squints in confusion.

“What?”

“Ukai,” Yamaguchi repeats more forcefully. “I wanted to talk to him about extra receive training for the first years. I tried to, after practice, but he ran out before the end.” He takes a deep breath. “I went looking for him. When I found him, he–” His voice starts to wobble. Kei reaches out to him but Yamaguchi turns away. “He wasn’t himself. I tried to talk to him, to see if he was okay but...” Tears are building in Yamaguchi’s eyes, threatening to overflow any second, but he forces himself to continue. “He attacked me. I escaped, ran home, but since then I’ve been...different.” He finally meets Kei’s eyes. “I don’t feel like a _person_ anymore,” he whispers.

“That’s why you didn’t come to practice,” Kei says, realisation dawning on him. Yamaguchi just nods, sniffling. Kei can’t take it anymore. “Yamaguchi. _Please."_

That’s all it takes. Yamaguchi surges forward to press his face into Kei’s chest, sobs wracking his body. Kei instantly encircles his arms around him, rubbing soothing shapes onto Yamaguchi’s back. He lets Yamaguchi cry until his eyes have dried and the only noises coming from him are little sniffles and hiccups. Softly stroking Yamaguchi’s hair, Kei pulls back minutely.

“We’re going to fix this, Yamaguchi,” he promises. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

Yamaguchi makes a choked sound in his throat, eyes dampening just slightly once more.

“What’s going to happen?” he mumbles, face still buried in Kei’s chest. “To the boy you hurt?” He pulls back to look into Kei’s eyes. “Is he going to end up like me?”

“No,” Kei answers immediately, shaking his head vigorously. “No, he’s going to be fine. Human.”

Nodding, Yamaguchi hugs close into Kei again. Kei breathes him in. Now he knows what’s causing his thirst issues, he’ll be able to control it, right? If the only other option is to stay away from Yamaguchi, Kei will master his urges without hesitation.

Wordlessly Kei toes off his shoes and leads Yamaguchi to his bed, flicking off the light, and without breaking contact they both nestle under the duvet together. Kei strokes Yamaguchi’s hair until his breathing evens out, his own eyes becoming heavy with the weight of the day. He sets his glasses on the bedside table. As he falls from consciousness, Kei thinks absently that he doesn’t actually mind Yamaguchi’s new scent. He doesn’t mind it at all.

Kei wakes with the sunrise to find his arms still wrapped tightly around a sleeping Yamaguchi. Shameless in the absence of witnesses, Kei dons his glasses and allows himself to openly take in Yamaguchi’s face. There’s a faint scar, one that Kei doesn’t recognise, that spans the left side of Yamaguchi’s face, cutting through his eyebrow, over his eyelid, and tapering off at his jaw. Kei wonders if Ukai did this. A raging heat flares in his gut. He needs to speak to Ukai. He needs to know how this happened.

Silently Kei tries to extract himself from Yamaguchi’s bed, but Yamaguchi’s hold on him is firm. The ghost of a smile finds its way onto Kei’s lips. He hasn’t lost his Yamaguchi. And he won’t.

He manages to unwrap Yamaguchi from around himself, standing up from the bed. He picks up Yamaguchi’s phone and makes sure an alarm is set before quietly stepping out of the window and returning home.

They meet at their usual spot less than two hours later, Kei showered and dressed in a clean uniform, Yamaguchi sleepily rubbing at his eyes – they look darker today, closer to their natural brown, but not quite.

“Why did you leave this morning?” Yamaguchi asks, yawning as they begin their walk to school.

“I needed my uniform,” Kei answers, thankful that the tension that had existed between them for the last couple of weeks seems to be completely gone. “Have you got your volleyball kit?”

Yamaguchi whips his head around to look at Kei, eyes wide and devoid of all previous tiredness. “I’m not going, Tsukki,” he says firmly and begins walking. But Kei had been expecting this.

“Yes you are,” Kei responds, keeping pace with Yamaguchi. “The team needs their captain back.” He pointedly keeps his eyes forward, pretending not to notice the way Yamaguchi looks at him. _"_ _I_ need you back,” he adds softly. He sees Yamaguchi’s cheeks grow pink from the corner of his eye, but he still doesn’t look. “We’ll face Ukai together. That’s how we do things, you and me. Together.” This last statement is punctuated with such finality that Yamaguchi has no choice but to concede, gulping and nodding.

“Okay, Tsukki. Together.”

They walk in silence for a minute, before Yamaguchi speaks again.

“I didn’t pack my kit, though.”

“I know,” Kei replies without missing a beat. “I packed you a spare one. Just in case.”

He catches Yamaguchi’s grin in his periphery and can’t help but smile himself. Nothing’s changed, not really. They’re still them, still together. Kei thinks things are going to be okay.

"Thanks, Tsukki."

When they reach the school gates Yamaguchi’s steps slow, his reluctance to go near the gym evident in his entire being. Kei reaches for Yamaguchi’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“I’m right here with you, Yamaguchi,” he says, low into Yamaguchi’s ear, and they make their way to practice.

They’re not the first there, but of course, they never would be on a team that also includes Hinata and Kageyama. Hinata looks up as they enter, eyes lighting up.

“Yamaguchi!” he shouts, running to meet them in the doorway. “You’re back! We’ve missed you, you know. Tsukishima’s a really mean vice captain, so we’re really glad to have you back,” he says. Kei rolls his eyes. “Right, Kageyama?” Hinata calls over his shoulder.

“Don’t yell at me when I’m trying to practice, dumbass!” is the response he receives. Hinata just scowls and sticks his tongue out in return, before turning back to Yamaguchi and Kei.

“Wait, you guys aren’t changed. You are joining in, right?”

“We are,” Kei answers, but he’s not looking at Hinata, instead staring straight past him, at Ukai. Ukai stares right back, jaw set. “We just need to speak to Coach first.”

Kei can feel Yamaguchi’s hand trembling in his, clammy and cold. He gives another reassuring squeeze, eyes still trained on Ukai, who gives a faint nod before turning to speak to Takeda. Kei pulls Yamaguchi back outside, leaving a slightly confused Hinata standing in the doorway.

Slowly Kei leads Yamaguchi to the club room, where he knows Ukai will follow. In the few minutes where they wait for the coach to show up, Kei keeps hold of Yamaguchi’s hand, hoping to simultaneously provide comfort and keep himself grounded. He needs to be the level-headed one here. For Yamaguchi’s sake.

When Ukai enters, Kei hears Yamaguchi’s breathing hitch. He steps forward as if to put himself between the two, Yamaguchi’s hand still in his. Ukai’s face is set hard, strained.

“Yamaguchi,” he says, voice even, “you’ve been absent for a while. We were beginning to worry.”

Yamaguchi doesn’t answer, doesn’t even look up, shoulders hunched and eyes on the ground. He holds Kei’s hand in a vice grip.

“Cut the bullshit,” Kei snaps. “What are you and what have you done to Yamaguchi?” Ukai’s expression remains unchanged as he assesses Kei. Yamaguchi weakly tugs on Kei’s hand, but Kei stands his ground.

“Okay,” Ukai sighs. “No bullshit.” He rubs the back of his neck, stance loosening. He looks like he’s itching for a cigarette. “Yamaguchi. Have you noticed any changes? Like, _physical_ changes?” Yamaguchi looks up now, round eyes wet with building tears. Ukai flinches almost imperceptibly, and Kei can only assume that he’s noticed their colour. “Ah. I see.”

Now Ukai does pull out a cigarette, clearly craving the nicotine more than he cares for the school rules. Kei watches silently as Ukai lights it and inhales deeply, his exhale coming as a prolonged sigh that seems to exhaust him, shoulders sagging as smoke surrounds them.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am, kid,” Ukai says, shaking his head, eyes cast low as he takes another drag. “Really bad case of wrong place, wrong time, I guess. Not much to be done about it now, though.”

Yamaguchi steps forward now, dropping Kei’s hand to ball his fists up at his sides. His features are morphing again, subtle but undeniably canine.

“What did you _do_ to me?” he growls. Ukai sighs again, nonplussed, and finally meets Yamaguchi’s eyes.

“I really am sorry, kid,” he says, and the pain in his eyes looks heartfelt and genuine. “It looks like you’re a werewolf.” He puffs on his cigarette. “Welcome to the club.”

Kei can’t help the laugh that escapes from him, harsh and shrill. Both pairs of eyes turn to him, surprised by his outburst, but he can’t stop. He’s manic, shrieking with laughter.

“It’s not funny, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi mumbles as he nudges Kei, features fully human again. Ukai just watches, stunned.

“It _is,_ though,” Kei cackles. “All this time I thought I was the only freak in this school, only to have one as my _volleyball coach!"_ He has never been so open, so unguarded, but he can’t stop it from all spilling out now that the floodgates are open. “I did _everything_ to hide who I am. I never broke a _single_ rule, never made _one_ mistake. Why did I bother?” He’s not laughing anymore. In fact, he thinks he might be crying. “There was only one person I wanted to protect from this world, the one person that _matters,_ and then _you_ come and drag him into it anyway!” He points accusingly at Ukai, somehow forcing venom into his words through his tears. _"_ _You_ lost control, and now I can’t be around the one person I actually _want_ to be around without feeling the overwhelming urge to drain the blood of _every_ human I see.” He’s panting, gasping, tears dried and forgotten in the wake of his rage. “You ruined him,” he chokes. He feels like he’s suffocating. “You ruined _me."_

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi murmurs, grabbing Kei’s arm. “Tsukki, leave it. Let’s just go.” 

He pulls Kei from the club room, past a speechless Ukai, past the gym, away from the main path and back into the shade of the trees. Kei is still heaving, unable to come to terms with what just happened. Yamaguchi stares at him, eyes full of worry. Kei suddenly realises that he’s fucked up.

“Yamaguchi,” he wheezes, “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said any of that. This isn’t about me, it’s about _you_. We need to go back, we need to–”

“Tsukki, shut up.”

Kei is blindsided, reeling. “What?” he pants out, completely bewildered.

“None of that matters now.” Yamaguchi looks angry, but not at Kei. “We know what I am, that’s that. Now I just want to go home.”

Blinking owlishly, Kei just nods. Then Yamaguchi turns to walk and Kei follows dutifully. He doesn’t think either of them should be alone right now. They don’t make it very far before they hear a voice call after them.

“Wait!” Ukai shouts, running towards them. This time it’s Yamaguchi who stands tall, pushing Kei behind him.

“Go away,” Yamaguchi demands.

“No,” Ukai says when he reaches them, out of breath and hunched over. “Come to Sakanoshita after evening practice. I think I can help you both.” Yamaguchi eyes him suspiciously, but Ukai doesn’t back down. “Please.”

Before Yamaguchi has the chance to reject the request, Kei steps forward and grabs his arm.

“We’ll be there,” he promises.


	3. Chapter 3

“Tsukki, I really don’t think we should go,” Yamaguchi says from where he sits on Kei’s bed, toying with the edge of Kei’s blanket. Kei rummages around the room noisily.

“We have to,” he replies from where he’s knelt. “If anyone can help, it's him. He actually knows what’s going on, for starters. Ah.” Having found what he was looking for, Kei stands and walks back to Yamaguchi. “And we won’t be going in without protection.”

In his hands Kei holds an ancient tome, the leather cover cracked and faded with age. He sits down next to Yamaguchi and opens it, laying it across their two laps and flipping through the pages til he reaches the right one.

“See?” he says, pointing to the symbol in the middle of the page. “Just a simple charm. Let me get the dragonsblood,” he says, sliding the book fully onto Yamaguchi, who just stares at it skeptically.

“I know that I’m kinda new to this, but Tsukki, is this really going to work?” he asks, tone doubting.

“It’s better than nothing,” Kei responds simply, returning to Yamaguchi’s side holding a small bottle filled with bright red liquid. Yamaguchi shrugs.

“I guess so,” he concedes. “And if all else fails, you can just fly us out of there, right, Tsukki?”

Kei fights the smile that tries to curl onto his lips. “Exactly,” he says. “Now give me your hands.”

Yamaguchi holds his palms out between them, and Kei drops some of the liquid from the bottle onto his own fingers before lightly tracing symbols there. It isn’t real blood, more of an oil, and it turns invisible as it soaks into Yamaguchi’s skin. Kei’s skin seems to tingle where he’s touched Yamaguchi’s warm, calloused palms. He ignores it, moving awkwardly to trace the symbol crookedly onto his own palms.

“You don’t need me to help?” Yamaguchi asks.

“I’ve got it.” Kei caps the bottle and places it beside his bed. Then he turns to Yamaguchi. “Remember, it’s just Ukai. We’ve known him for years, I don’t think he’d hurt us.” He sees Yamaguchi’s eyes darken, and quickly adds, “Not on purpose, at least.”

Yamaguchi sighs. “Fine. I trust you, Tsukki.”

Kei feels the weight of these words settle over his shoulders. Yamaguchi’s trust is something so precious, and he feared he’d lost it when Yamaguchi saw him crouched and bloody over that boy. To know that he still has it ignites something within him.

“Good,” is all he says to convey this. “Now let’s go, practice should be finishing now.”

They arrive at Sakanoshita to find Ukai smoking outside, shifting from one foot to the other to keep warm in the chilly evening air. He flicks ash from his cigarette when he sees them approaching.

“I was worried you wouldn’t show,” he says, the smell of smoke enveloping them all.

“Well, we’re here now,” Kei says flatly. Ukai just nods, dropping his cigarette and crushing it with the toe of his shoe.

“Come in, then.”

The fluorescent lights of the store cast a harsh light on everything. Kei and Yamaguchi follow as Ukai strolls to the counter, dipping behind to retrieve something before taking his seat there. Kei finds himself thankful for the barrier of the counter between them.

“First of all, this is for you,” he says looking at Kei, and drops something onto the counter.

Kei leans in to observe it and he feels Yamaguchi do the same behind him. It’s some sort of tiny orb, about the size of a penny, but it’s colour is a deep, beautiful purple. The orb hangs from a short black cord, probably leather, with old, tarnished silver clasps on either end.

“It’s made of wolfsbane resin,” Ukai says in answer to their unasked question. “It should help with your...thirst,” he finishes, clearing his throat. Kei reaches out to take the pendant. It’s smooth between his fingers.

“It won’t hurt Yamaguchi?” he asks, looking up at Ukai.

“No,” Ukai replies, shaking his head. “That’s a myth, actually. If anything, it’d slow down his transformation.” This catches Yamaguchi’s attention.

“What? Can I have one?” he pleads, eyes bright as he leans over the counter, hands splayed across the stark white plastic.

Kei fastens the cord around his neck. It’s snug, the orb resting comfortably in the hollow of his throat. Instantly he feels a sense of peace wash over him, and he sighs involuntarily.

“Nope. I’ve got something else in mind for you,” Ukai assures Yamaguchi. Then, to Kei, “Feel better?”

Kei just nods, brushing his fingers against the smooth purple at his throat. _So much better._

“Can’t believe I didn’t realise you were a leech,” Ukai says, shaking his head and smirking. “Old age must be dulling my senses.”

“I resent that,” says Kei, scowling. Yamaguchi huffs impatiently beside him, drawing Ukai’s attention.

“What about _me?"_ he moans. “What do you have in mind for me?” Kei finds himself feeling rather fond at the way Yamaguchi sounds almost like he did as a child.

“I’m gonna need to observe you,” Ukai states. Yamaguchi gives him a look that begs him to elaborate. “I have to see how bad your lycanthropy is. I don’t think I bit you – did I?” Yamaguchi shakes his head. “So I don’t think you’ll be a full-on go-wild-on-a-full-moon werewolf. We’ll have to wait and see, though.”

 _"Okaaaay,"_ Yamaguchi draws out the word dryly. “Which means what exactly?”

“It _means,"_ Ukai emphasises pointedly, “that with a little training, you’ll be able to control it. So quit being such a pissbaby. Some of us aren’t so lucky.” He digs around for another cigarette now, but he’s startled to a halt when Yamaguchi slams his fist down on the counter.

 _"Lucky?”_ he spits. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be _normal,_ so forgive me if I’m not celebrating my good fortune.” He grasps Kei’s forearm. “Tsukki, can we go now?” he sighs. Kei just nods.

Yamaguchi pulls him towards the door, and Kei glances briefly back at Ukai.

“Guys, wait, don’t go,” Ukai groans, standing from his stool. “Yamaguchi, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I just mean that it’s not as bad as it could have been.” Yamaguchi has stopped walking, listening but still with his back to Ukai. “I know that this is my fault. I fucked up but I want to do what I can to try and fix it. Will you let me?”

Kei feels like he’s stuck in the middle of a stand-off, unable to pick a side. Of course, he’s on Yamaguchi’s side, always. And he’s mad at Ukai for all of this. But at the same time, he knows that Ukai is their only chance of handling this. He hopes that Yamaguchi will give him a chance. He doesn’t say this, though, instead watching silently.

Shoulders falling, Yamaguchi turns to face Ukai. “Okay,” he says. “Tell me about this training, then.”

They end up staying for a while, pulling folding stools from behind the counter to sit. Kei wordlessly listens to Ukai and Yamaguchi talk. Ukai isn’t the only werewolf in his family; lycanthropy is in his blood, but he was the first werewolf born to his family since his grandfather, Ikkei. He promises that the two of them will train Yamaguchi, and that he will be able to have a normal life.

When they finally leave Sakanoshita, into the dark and cold night, Kei can feel that a weight has been lifted from Yamaguchi. He can see how Yamaguchi is smiling more easily again, how his eyes have almost returned to their natural deep brown. Not all the way, probably not ever again, but so very nearly.

And Kei is in control. The crystalised wolfsbane at his neck has soothed his thirst completely, and he finally feels like himself again. Except not. Because he doesn’t remember ever having such a strong urge to reach out and hold Yamaguchi’s hand. He’s sure he’s never been so tempted to pull Yamaguchi in close to his chest and kiss every freckle on his cheeks. Has he?

As if hit by a silver bullet to the chest, Kei realises that he loves Yamaguchi. Because who else could it have ever been? Who else but the one person who found his way in, who tore down Kei’s walls with such fervour and precision? The only person Kei has ever let see his true self, and the one who knew him at his worst but stayed anyway? Who still trusts despite knowing?

Kei stops walking, frozen by his sudden epiphany. It shouldn’t shock him the way it does. It’s obvious, it always has been. Still, he is left speechless by it.

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi calls from a couple of steps ahead. When he gets no response, he turns back, appearing right in front of Kei.

“Yamaguchi,” Kei breathes involuntarily. He reaches up to touch the pendant at his neck, to grasp onto it for dear life.

“Yeah?” Yamaguchi asks, head cocked in question. “Are you okay, Tsukki?”

“I think I’m in love with you,” comes Kei’s reply, but he’s sure he didn’t mean to say it, not out loud. Yamaguchi’s face falls, mouth hanging open in pure surprise. Kei just stares back, unable to form a coherent thought.

“Wh–what?” Yamaguchi stutters out. His eyes are a stark amber again. Their intense stare shocks Kei back into the present.

“You,” he says dumbly, trying to blink away the fog in his head. “I love you.”

He’s still blinking as Yamaguchi’s face flushes crimson, as Yamaguchi pulls his bottom lip between his teeth to chew nervously, as he avoids meeting Kei’s eyes.

“Are you sure?” Yamaguchi’s voice is so quiet that Kei almost misses this. He’s so glad he didn’t, so unshakably sure of his answer.

“I’m sure.”

Yamaguchi nods absently, eyes still not meeting Kei’s. Internally Kei begs him to look up, desperate to see his face. God, he _loves_ that face. How had he never noticed before?

“Yamaguchi?” Kei prompts, taking a tentative step towards him.

“Yes, Tsukki?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Yamaguchi looks at him now, amber eyes aglow, alive like the flickering flame of a candle. Kei can feel their heat.

“Is this real?” is Yamaguchi’s reply, and Kei finds himself caught off-guard.

“I’m sorry?” is all he can manage. Yamaguchi is watching him with a furrowed brow.

“It’s just,” he starts with a huff, “I’ve been in love with you since I knew what love was. Probably even before that, actually.” Yamaguchi’s tone is so casual, conversational, as if he hasn’t just delivered to Kei a piece of news that has in a single moment completely destroyed his world, and then in the same breath built it anew. “So I’m just not sure how to process this. You’d think that with how often I daydream about it I’d know how to handle it when it happened but, well, I don’t.”

Yamaguchi is rambling. This is what he does when he’s nervous, Kei knows. He takes another step closer to Yamaguchi, focusing less on the words he’s still saying and more on the hypnotising movement of his lips. But then Yamaguchi stops speaking, suddenly becoming aware of Kei’s closeness.

“Yamaguchi,” Kei says once more, enunciating every syllable with purpose. Yamaguchi just stares at him, jaw slack. “Can I _please_ kiss you?” Kei watches Yamaguchi’s Adam’s apple bob as he gulps.

“Yes, Tsukki.”

And that’s all he needs. Kei leans down to finally, _finally_ taste Yamaguchi’s lips, gently pressing his own against them. He is sure that nothing has ever felt so right, that this is definitely what he was always meant to do. Always with Yamaguchi. He threads his fingers into Yamaguchi’s hair, feels Yamaguchi’s hands fisted in the front of his shirt, feels Yamaguchi’s tongue cautiously sweep across his lower lip. Of course Kei lets him in, deepens the kiss, pulls Yamaguchi impossibly closer.

Yamaguchi is the one to break the kiss, gasping for a quick, life-saving breath before diving back in. Kei is sure that he will never get enough of this. Why in the world have they never done this before? A single thought enters Kei’s head and pulls him from his bliss.

“Wait,” he breathes as he pulls back fractionally from Yamaguchi’s face, just enough so that Kei can look into his eyes. They stare back, wide and apprehensive.

“What’s wrong?” Yamaguchi’s voice is tinged with panic. Automatically Kei leans back in to press a small, reassuring kiss to the tip of Yamaguchi’s nose.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Kei assures him. “I just thought,” he starts, though he’s struggling to hold back his smirk. “When I told you I was a vampire, you accepted that without question. But when I told you I loved you, _that_ was hard to believe?”

Yamaguchi blinks up at Kei, wide eyes regarding him as if he’d just asked an extremely stupid question with an incredibly obvious answer. Then his eyes narrow into a scowl that almost makes Kei’s laughter burst from him.

“Well, yeah!” Yamaguchi says defensively. “You being a vampire is way more believable than you saying something so _embarrassing!"_ Yamaguchi is smiling as he says this and Kei finally does laugh, a laugh that crinkles his whole face with the genuine joy of it.

“It _was_ embarrassing, wasn’t it?” He buries his face into the crook of Yamaguchi’s neck in an attempt to hide his grin.

“It was.” Kei can hear the smile in Yamaguchi’s voice as he speaks. “But you really said it. You love me,” Yamaguchi grins.

“I do,” Kei confirms, drawing back from Yamaguchi’s neck to kiss him again, grinning. “I really do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we go, the final chapter of this little fic! I really want to revisit this AU at some point coz it's just so amazing but for now, we're done!  
> Another thanks to Soma for this whole idea, I really hope you like it!  
> Thanks for reading xoxo


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